Cesaeedonadoni



(No Model.)

G. DONADONI.

. MEGHANIGAL MUSIGAL INSTRUMENT. l

Patented Jan. 6, 1885.

= INVBNTOR LM/w 24,01

"'izn ATTORNEY I ing the same.

UNITED STATES PATENT QEETCE.

CESARE DONADONI, OF BERLIN, (il-Elliiilr NY, ASSIIrIIOR T0 HIMSELF ANI) IOIIL, OF 'SAME PLACE.

MECHANICAL MUSICALI SPECIFICATION for-mine NSTRUM ENT.

Application filed April T, 18rd. (No modell) laii-nied in England January 2:7, itt- 2. No. 374i; in .\ustria-lIungary March 22, 18S-2,

No. '2,407 and No.10,274; in Belgium April l5, 188i, No. 57,412, in France .-\pril 28, I

No. 117,391, and in Germany Jnly, 18S-l,

To @ZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CESARE DoNiinoivr, a subject of the King of Italy, residing at the city of Berlin, German Empire, have invented anew and useful Improvementin Piario-Fortes, (for which I have obtained a patent in France, No. 147,394, dated April 28, 1882; in Belgium, No. 57,412, dated April 15, 1882 in Austria- Hungary, No. 2,407 and No. 10,274, dated March 22, 1882; in the German Empire, No. 23,552, dated July 25, 1882, in Great Britain and Ireland, No. 376, dated January 25, 1882,) of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying sheet of drawings, forming part hereof.

This invention relates to combined ordinary and mechanical or automatic piano-fortes; and the invention consists in the mechanism, com,A binations, and arrangements hereinafter fully described, and particularlypointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying sheet ot' drawings refcrred to, Figure 1 is a longitudinal section, Fig. 2, a plan or top view of cylinders; Iig. 23, a crosssection taken in theline .r af, Fig. 2.

Similar letters of reference indicate like parts in the several. iigures.

This invention relates particularly to the mechanical production of musical sounds and airs-that is,the production of musical sounds from a piano or similar instrument by actuating its movements or mechanism through or by means of mechanical devices in connection with a crank or other means for oper-at rIlo that end I construct my piano A (which may be of the well-known upright form of such instruments, or any other form that will adapt it to the purpose of this invention) with the well-known strings (i, dampers I), hammers c, hammer-levers (I, the ordinary key-levers, c, and such ordinary and well-known mechanism in connection with the hammers, dampers, key-levers, and manuals of a piano-forte which upto this point in my invention in no wise difter from that which is commonly found in a piano to be operated b v the hands of the player. In addition, however, to this well-known mechanism I pivot to the rear ends of the key-levers c (or rather to the counter-balances fformed on such ends) the ends oflevers B. These levers B have secured to their upper surfaces projections 0, the rear en( s of the levers B protruding` somewhat beyond the ends of the key-levers e, as at Ir. Passing through suitable guide-blocks, i, are rods C, the upper ends of which rods rest in contact with or against the under side of the projections 7i of the levers B, and the lower ends of the rods C rest upon levers D, which are pivoted to suitable blocksj. The rear ends of the levers l) rest upon the upper ends of rods B, the lower ends of these rods E resting upon levers l?, the rear ends ofthe levers F being pivoted to suitable blocks, 7s. These levers F extend to and over a series of cylinders, G, which cylinders are vertically :fixed on the upper surface of a wind-chest, II, below which wind-chest is placed a bellows, It. As will be seen, by arranging the pins ,fr on the pin-barrel N in agiven position and relation to one another, so as to cor respond with the notes of a given piece of music, these pins, through intermediate pistons and connecting-rods, alternately trip the levers B, and corresponding notes through the hammers of the instrument are sounded on its strings, and thc music 1 n'oduced. Into each cylinder G is snugly fitted a piston, Z, each piston having a vertical piston-rod, m. rIlhese pistoirrods are secured to the ends ot' the levers l?. Also tixed to the upper surface of the wind-chest II are a series ot' smaller cylindcrsdi. Each of these smaller cylinders has an opening,n,and into each of these cylinders l is snugly litten a piston,0,each piston having attached to it a piston-rod, p, which rods pass through the pistons 0, the lower ends of the rods resting on valves r, which valves are provided with springs s. The upper ends of these pistoivrods p are iixed to vertical rods L, which rods pass through suitable guides in a block, t, and the upper ends of these rodsL abut against one end of the levers M, which levers are pivoted to a block, a, the other end of the levers M being provided with pins fr. Suitablyjournaled to the casing or Aframe of AVO ``barrel N, causes said pin-barrel to revolve on this way actu ate the hammers they also operate the piano is a pin-barrel,N,with a gear-wheel, lw,at one end and a series of pins, x, protruding from its surface. Also through the casing of the piano is lsuitably journaled a cra-nkshai't,with a worm-wheel secured to one of its ends and a crank, y, at its other end.

New, when my piano is constructed substantially as hereinbefore described, it is operated in this wise: YVhen the piano is played upon in the ordinary way by the hands ot' the player, the keys are manipulated on the ends ofthe levers c in precisely the same manner and with the same elleet as wit-h any piano, the action being` wholly independent and disconnected from the second means of operai:- ing the piano, which second means consist of the mechanical playing lirough or by means ofthe pin-barrel N. By turning the crank jl/ the worm-wheel tixed to its shal't,meshing into the geai.'-wheel fw on one end oll the pinits`journals, and as this barrel revolves the pins a: in the circumference ot' the same are brought successively in contact with the tripping-pins o in the levers lil, forcing downward thereby the inner ends ot these levers, which in turn force downward the vertical rods L, these rods in turn forcing` downward the piston o in the smaller cylinders l. rlChe protruding lower parts ot' the piston-rods p ol' these pistons press downward, and thereby open the valves which admit the air from the bellows R into the cylinder G, where it forces upward the pistons Z,whoserodsm raise the levers F, which in turn move upward the rods E, these rods lifting the levers D, and these last-named levers piixshing upward the rods C, which last-named rods lift one end ot the levers B, causing its projection g to raise the hammer-levers d, and thereby through the ordinary hammer mechanism (not necessary to describe) cause the hammers c to impiuge against the strings c ol" the inst-ruinent, producing the musical sounds, and as the levers d in the dampers b. As the crank and its shaft are turned it not only revolves the pin-barrel El in the manner described, but it also, by means ot' a jointed connecting-rod or similar device, operates the bellows lt, in connection with a spring (not shown) iixed in any obvious manner to the bellows. Vfhen the pistons Z, in the cylinders G, have completed their upward stroke, that they may be returned promptly to their lower position, so as to be ready Yfor the next upward stroke, the descent ot' these pistons forces up the valve r and causes the air to enter the small cylinders K, where it inds an exit through openings a formed therein. lt is also obvious t-hat the mechanical operation produced by the turning of the pin-barrel il is independent otl the manual or key board ot' the piano designed to be operated by the hands oi' the performer, so that the instrument can be used in the ordinary manner or mechanically, as

desired.

slows I am aware of the German patent granted to C. Frati, numbered 18,024, and I do not claim anything therein shown.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. A combined ordinary and mechanical or automatic piano-forte consisting of the ordinary piano-torte having the usual key-levers, c, provided at their inner ends with levers l, the rotatable pin-barrel N, the levers M, operated by said pin-barrel, the wind-chest H, having valves r, and bellows for iilling said chest with air, said chest also having a series of cylinders, G and K, having pistons l-and o, respectively, and rods in said pistons, the roc s of pistons o being` extended to levers M, to be operated by said levers to open the valves r, to admit pressure of air to move the piston l, to operate, through the levers Fand l and suitable connections, the hammers c and dampers b, all the parts being combined and constructed substantially as shown, and operating as described.

2. ln combination with a piano-torte having the ordinary key-levers, c, the pin-barrel N, and mechanism l'or revolving the same, the wind-chest li, and means, substantially as described, l'or lilling the same, the said chest provided with a series ot' cylinders, G and K, with pistons and rods therein,and suitable levers and rods and connections therefor t'or operating said pistons from the pin-barrel to operate the hammers c and dampers b, as set l'orth.

3. ln combination with a piano-forte having the ordinary key-levers, c, provided with levers B, fulcrumed on said key-levers, the pin-barrel and mechanism for rotating the same, the wind-chest li, and means, substantially as described, l'or filling the same, the said chest provided witha series et' cylinders, and l, with pistons and rods therein, and suitablelevers and rods and connections therei'or l'or operating said pistons from the pinbarrel to operate the hammers cand dampers o, as i'orth.

Jr. .ln a combined ordinary and mechanical or automatic piano-torte substantially as described, the wind-chest ll., and means tortilling the same with air, said chest provided with the cylinders G, having pistons Z therein, combined with valves r, and means foreperating them to admit air tothe said cylinders G, to move the pistons l to operate the hammers c and dampers b, as set l'orth.

5. ln a combined ordinary and mechanical or automatic piano-torte, the wind-chest ll, provided with the series ol' cylinders G and l, the latter having the openings a, lor the purpose set l'orth.

@ES RE DGN\DNI.

'lv-Vitnesses:

Anouar Bonnin-m, l5. Roi.

IOO 

